Hol″o‐caust (?), n. [L. holocaustum, Gr. �, neut. of �, �, burnt whole; ὁλοσ̓ whole + καυστόσ burnt, fr. καίειν to burn (cf. Caustic): cf. F. holocauste.] 1. A burnt sacrifice; an offering, the whole of which was consumed by fire, among the Jews and some pagan nations. Milton.
2. Sacrifice or loss of many lives, as by the burning of a theater or a ship.